Picks: Keeneland’s Grade One Gamble tournament, Mahoning’s $23,027 Pick 6 mandatory payout

A mandatory-payout Pick 6 carryover at Mahoning Valley and a lucrative tournament at Keeneland are among the best betting options to pursue on Saturday.

$3,500 Keeneland Grade One Gamble tournament

There’s a lot at stake in the $3,500 Keeneland Grade One Gamble tournament, which encompasses the entire Saturday card at Keeneland (first post time 1:00 p.m. ET).

Bettors who wager their entire $2,500 bankroll across at least five races at Keeneland (minimum $400 per race) will have a chance to climb the leaderboard and compete for entries into the 2025 Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge (KDBC), the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), and the 2026 NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC). There’s also more than $170,000 in cash prizes up for grabs.

The Keeneland card includes two stakes. The first is Race 9, the Lexington (G3) for three-year-olds racing 1 1/16 miles over the main track. We’re keen to support #8 Hypnus (6-1) at a bit of a price.

RELATED: Tipsheet: 2025 Lexington Stakes

Hypnus is dropping in class after finishing seventh in both the Rebel (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2). He’s also adding blinkers and entering off a bullet half-mile workout in :47 1/5 at Churchill Downs, suggesting the stretch-running colt may show more early speed in the Lexington. Sticking closer to the early pace should give him a chance to chase down #7 Praetor (2-1) and #6 Gosger (7-2), two speedsters who are climbing the class ladder.

We suggest tournament players bet the following two trifectas. If you’re not involved in the tournament, consider playing the same tickets for smaller base amounts:

• Race 9: $50 Trifecta: 8 with 6,7 with 2,6,7 ($200)
• Race 9: $50 Trifecta: 6,7 with 8 with 2,6,7 ($200)
  Total: $400

The other stakes is Race 10, the Jenny Wiley (G1) for fillies and mares racing 1 1/16 miles on turf. A deep and competitive field has assembled, and Godolphin color-bearer #6 Jabaara (9-2) is an intriguing win threat in her North American debut.

RELATED: Exotic plays for the 2025 Jenny Wiley Stakes

Jabaara ran into some traffic trouble when finishing fourth in her 2025 debut, the Lady Wulfruna S. sprinting seven furlongs on synthetic on Wolverhampton. She’s far better on turf, as she demonstrated when finishing second in the one-mile Falmouth (G1) last summer. The Falmouth winner, Porta Fortuna, has scored four times at the Group 1 level and ran second in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

A clean trip while returning to turf for her second run of the season should make Jabaara formidable in the Jenny Wiley. If her enticing morning-line odds hold up, tournament players should consider a $400 win bet:

• Race 10: $400 to win on #6 Jabaara

Mahoning Valley $23,027 Pick 6 mandatory payout

The Mahoning Valley meet wraps up on Saturday, which means the $23,027 carryover in the 20-cent Pick 6 is slated for a mandatory payout.

The Pick 6 gets underway in Race 3 at 1:11 p.m. ET. The most trustworthy single in the sequence is arguably #2 Wonder World (2-1) in Race 7, a six-furlong dirt allowance for Ohio-bred fillies and mares who have never won two races. The three-year-old filly has been in strong form at Mahoning this year and will be tough to beat if she brings her A game.

Wonder World kicked off her sophomore campaign with a 10-length demolition of a six-furlong maiden special weight for Ohio-breds. Then she rallied fast after a troubled start to finish second by a neck in the six-furlong Southern Park S., also against Ohio-breds.

Wonder World’s effort in the Southern Park earned an 81 Brisnet Speed rating, the highest number in Saturday’s field by eight points. A similar performance should send Wonder World back to the winner’s circle for trainer Robert Gorham.

Good luck!